The invention relates to a cover and more specifically to an absorbent disposable cover for hospital X-ray tables and the like.
Hospitals and clinics are faced with rising costs. Labor and equipment time represent a significant portion of the costs.
Each day thousands of patients have barium enema X-ray examinations. Quite frequently the patient is unable to hold the enema fluid and an embarrassing accident occurs which contaminates the X-ray table. X-ray tables are usually vinyl and have the X-ray film tray located under the table surface. When the aforementioned accidents occur the fluid will cover the table surface and can seep down into the film tray. The fluid contaminates the area and also obscures the area that must be X-rayed so the area must be cleaned before the proceedure can be finished. Electrical shorts due to the liquid could be a potential problem. Also a prime factor is the time lost to the cleaning up of the patient and table area before crucial X-rays can be taken.
In addition to X-ray tables, hospitals also have trauma centers with examination tables. These tables can be contaminated with blood, urine and fecal material. Again, cleanup prior to the next use is lengthy and expensive. Ambulances have gurneys and the surface must be changed after each use.
Some hospitals use cloth sheeting to cover the tables. The sheeting must be laundered and is expensive to replace. Costs involved are the sheets, laundry facility maintenance, and time consumed to change the sheets. Where sheeting is not used, vinyl covered table surfaces are used. Vinyl needs to wiped down with disinfectant after each use.
A further area requiring attention is when X-ray patients move to a restroom after having an accident on the X-ray table. If the patient loses enema fluid as they go to the restroom the floor also becomes contaminated requiring manpower and time for the clean-up.
The invention provides a simple to use, inexpensive and simple solution to the above listed problems. A disposable table surface, impermeable to fluids, with an absorbent center blotter which is covered with a semi-permeable upper contact sheet will solve the problems listed above. Any fluid, blood, urine or enema will be absorbed without soaking through to the table surface. Clean-up is simple, the four stick-down corners are lifted and folded to the center. By picking up the cover with the blotter inward and keeping the plastic sheet outward, the moisture is contained. The contaminated table cover can be easily disposed of and a replacement easily attached to the table.
The time it takes to clean an area is shortened when the disposable pad is used. It requires less clean up time for hospital or clinic personnel and the time that equipment, X-ray tables, gurneys, examination tables, etc. are out of service is shortened. Time savings and equipment turn-around time represent money and real costs to a hospital.
There is, therefore, a need for a disposable, cost effective X-ray table cover pad which can speed table use turn-around time and personnel labor expenditure.